8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times;

One of our Converge churches advertises it’s the largest church in Minnesota with over 22,000 attending weekly; I believe it now has 7 campuses across the Twin City area. What makes a church successful? Is it only about its size? Do we measure success in our own smaller churches by numbers alone? Many do.

I grew up in Detroit and initially was part of a mega-church. My parents were members of that church of about 1,200 attenders on a Sunday and that was unheard of in the 50’s. The value of very large churches is that they can do ministry with excellent quality. They had the resources to hire the best in each area: music, Christian Education, preaching, youth, outreach, evangelism. Highland Park Baptist had biblically based messages and wonderful celebrity Christian speakers. They sent and supported over 70 missionaries throughout the world at that time. Their pastor had been there 46 years before his sudden death.

While in seminary we discussed the questions: What is the main job of the Christian Church? What are its goals? How do we determine if a church is of God or of men?

The pastor of the largest church in America was interviewed by Larry King. Joel Osteen's Lakewood church in Huston has about 40,000 attendees. His services are broadcast all over the world. He is one of the most popular authors, writing many encouraging books. I found some of his responses interesting. He was asked why he never mentions sin. His answer “I don't use it. … But most people already know what they're doing wrong. When I get them to church, I want to tell them that you can change. There can be a difference in your life. So, I don't go down the road of condemning."

When asked about condemning wrong he says, “It's never been me. I've always been an encourager at heart. And when I took over from my father he came from the Southern Baptist background. 40, 50 years ago there was a lot more of that. But, you know, I just -- I don't believe in that. I don't believe -- maybe it was for a time. But I don't have it in my heart to condemn people. I'm there to encourage them. I see myself more as a coach, as a motivator to help them experience the life God has for us. I tell people all the time, I'm for everybody. You may not agree with me, but to me it's not my job to try to straighten everybody out. The Gospel is called the good news. My message is a message of hope, that's God's for you. You can live a good life no matter what's happened to you. And so I don't know. I know there is condemnation, but I don't feel that's my place."

Larry King asked, “What if you're Jewish or Muslim, you don't accept Christ at all?”

Osteen's responded “ You know, I'm very careful about saying who would and wouldn't go to heaven. I don't know ...  I don't know if I believe they're wrong. I believe here's what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God will judge a person's heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don't know all about their religion. But I know they love God. And I don't know. I've seen their sincerity. So, I don't know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to have a relationship with Jesus.”  

 But what is the good news? What is this thing called the gospel? How are leaders conducting their ministry? What are the guidelines and commands that keep us above board?

As Paul continues his letter to the Romans he addresses the main idea of his reasons for writing. It is far different from what you hear from the most popular preacher in America. There are times churches will compromise Biblical teaching and preaching to get more people into their churches. Paul wants to make sure his message is from Christ and that is the key to the book of Romans.

Dale